He could therefore be playing at the World Cup this summer, especially having already won 17 caps, with his country pitted against Switzerland, France and Honduras, but the Swans may want to act decisively if they are going to bring him in, with the tournament offering him a chance to showcase his talents, place himself in the shop window but also drive up his price tag.

It is a situation best avoided for Garry Monk, who may or may not still be in charge come the close season.

To help Swans fans who are unsure what the Vitesse man could bring to the Liberty Stadium, here are five facts you may not have known about Ibarra.

1) An eye for goal

He is hardly prolific in front of goal, but Ibarra has shown an occasional sharp edge in the penalty area to see him score seven goals in 67 matches for the Dutch outfit.

2) El Nacional

The club with which Ibarra started his career. He scored only three times for the club during 31 appearances in his native homeland but his reputation was on the rise, particularly after his opening goal for El Nacional saw him crash home from distance. Chelsea and Vitesse scouts were suitably impressed.

3) Wilfried Bony

Ibarra became good friends with the Ivorian striker during their time together in Holland, before the Swans snapped him up, he often supplied the goods for the front-man, including a 2-0 win at AFC Ajax which brought an end to their unbeaten run since the start of the season during the 2012/2013 campaign.

4) Crossing ability

The respected statistics website WhoScored list his key attributes as crossing, holding on to the ball, passing and dribbling. It was these skills in particular which helped Bony to score a stunning 31 goals in 30 games prior to his move to these shores.

5) He loves August

Ibarra has struck consecutive winning goals in his opening appearances across the last two seasons, an omen that bodes well given the Swans have lost two of their last three games to kick the season off. He struck in 2011/2012 in a 1-0 win over FC Zwolle and also this season in a 3-1 success over Heracles.